Gun Control

Need For Tougher Restrictions Is Painfully Clear

October 09, 1995

So often, the victims of shooting violence are young people or family members gunned down by relatives or spouses. The casual attitude Americans have about gun ownership contributes to the violence. A society where children walk around with guns is in need of tougher gun control. Meanwhile:

* In Tavares, Fla., a 14-year-old boy was charged with murder in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy in the exterior breezeway of the school where they both attended eighth grade. The shooting occurred during a class change.

* In Orlando, police charged a man in the shooting death of his wife. He had told family members he intended to kill her.

* An Arlington man was charged with the shooting death of his brother in a dispute over a car.

* Police in Prince George's County, Md., charged a man in the shooting death of a 15-year-old high school student. The girl's body was found on the steps of an elementary school.

* Two people were shot, one fatally, in a Landover, Md., apartment.

* A woman shooting at her boyfriend shot a 2-year-old boy in the head. Chicago police said the woman fired several shots at the man following an argument outside an apartment, and one of the bullets passed through a wall and struck the child, who was expected to recover.

* Two people, including a 17-year-old, were shot to death in separate incidents in Baltimore.

* Also in Baltimore, a feud between two families erupted in gunfire. A 12-year-old girl who was not a member of either family was wounded.

* In New York City, police shot and wounded a 17-year-old male who had opened fire on two officers. The officers were not hurt.